When my mother was diagnosed with Stage IV liver, lung and colon cancer many years ago, our family was dragged into a world that spoke a different language. A language that we didn’t understand, nor want to have to learn.
As an adolescent girl in high school, I remember being overwhelmed by the many healthcare professionals and the unknown code in which they communicated. Nowadays we have information at our fingertips so we can better prepare ourselves with a basic understanding of cancer terminology. By becoming familiar with oncology terms, we are more confident to ask questions and hold detailed discussions with our doctors and nurses. Here are the basics you need to know:
BIOPSY
If you’ve been diagnosed, you know that you are met with a multitude of healthcare professionals. The doctor normally recommends a biopsy when an initial test suggests an area of tissue in the body isn’t normal. Doctors may call an area of abnormal tissue a lesion, a tumour or a mass. The surgeon then removes a sample of tissue (a biopsy) from your body. This biopsy is sent to a laboratory and studied under a microscope, by a pathologist (a specialist doctor who examines tissues and fluids and assists the healthcare team in making a diagnosis).
MITOSIS
Under a microscope, our tissues are made up of a collection of cells. During mitosis, a cell makes an exact copy of itself and splits into two new cells. Each cell contains an exact copy of the original cell, and this is how our body facilitates growth and repair.
THE FORMATION OF CANCER
When a pathologist receives a biopsy, the cells are usually easily identifiable. For example, breast cells taken from a breast biopsy. Sometimes a pathologist may be presented with a tissue sample made up of cells that look extremely abnormal. These are cells that haven’t made good copies of themselves. For reasons unknown, these badly copied cells have managed to escape the safety checks during mitosis, and as a result, have managed to create even more badly copied cells. This abnormal and uncontrolled growth can lead to the formation of a cancerous tumour.
TYPE OF CANCER
The type of cancer will be named after the tissue in which it first originated. In some rare cases, the pathologist is unable to identify the origin and then a diagnosis of a carcinoma is made.
THE GRADE
The pathologist will grade the tissue sample according to the degree that the tissue has become abnormal. If the abnormal cells haven’t been copied too badly, the tumour is referred to as being well differentiated or Grade 1. If the cells are moderately-differentiated, Grade 2. If the abnormal cells aren’t easily recognised, it’s referred to as being poorly differentiated or Grade 3. When there is little resemblance to the original tissue, it is deemed as Grade 4. High-grade tumours tend to grow more rapidly and spread more easily than low-grade tumours.
Related article: Mbali Maphumalo: A true survivor
THE STAGES
Next is to check how far the disease has progressed or how far the cancer has spread in the patient’s body. Stage 0 is for abnormal cells that haven’t spread and are not considered cancerous. Stage 1 through to Stage 3 are for cancers that haven’t spread beyond the original tumour site or have only spread to nearby tissue. Stage 4 is when cancer has spread to distant areas of the body. The higher the stage number, the larger the tumour and the more it has spread.
A TUMOUR
A tumour develops when cells reproduce too quickly. Tumours can vary in size from a tiny nodule to a large mass, depending on the type, and they can appear almost anywhere on the body. There are three main types of tumour:
Benign: These are not cancerous. They either cannot spread or grow, or they do so very slowly. If a doctor removes them, they generally do not return.
Premalignant: In these tumours, the cells are not yet cancerous, but they have the potential to become malignant.
Malignant: Malignant tumours are cancerous. The cells can grow and spread to other parts of the body. It is not always clear how a tumour will act in the future. Some benign tumours can become premalignant and then malignant. For this reason, it is best to monitor any growth.
Related article: Coping with the big C
PROGNOSIS
Once a diagnosis is made, the patient is usually referred to an oncologist (a doctor who has further specialised in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer). He or she will use the information gathered, including the tumour grade and stage, as well as other factors, such as your age and general well-being to determine a prognosis. The prognosis is the likely outcome or course of a disease which includes the chance of recovery or recurrence.
CHEMOTHERAPY
Chemotherapy is a drug treatment that uses powerful chemicals to kill fast-growing cells in your body. There are many different chemotherapy drugs available and a variety of ways in which to administer it, but the most common is by inserting a tube with a needle into a vein in your arm or into a device in a vein in your chest.
Related article: 10 Chemo comfort and beauty tips
RADIATION
Radiation therapy is also a type of cancer treatment that uses beams of intense energy to kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy most often uses X-rays, an external-beam radiation from a machine outside the body. Each session is quick and painless, lasting about 15 minutes.
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PERSONAL HEALTH ADVISOR
For free advice on health issues, Jet Club members can call our helpline.
SA & Namibia
0800 00 45 45
Botswana, Lesotho & Swaziland
+2711 991 8258
This benefit also gives you access to our free online education support system, trauma and assault support, and free access to our HIV Prevention Programme 24/7. For more information about our full list of benefits you receive as a Jet Club member, click here.
BIOPSY
If you’ve been diagnosed, you know that you are met with a multitude of healthcare professionals. The doctor normally recommends a biopsy when an initial test suggests an area of tissue in the body isn’t normal. Doctors may call an area of abnormal tissue a lesion, a tumour or a mass. The surgeon then removes a sample of tissue (a biopsy) from your body. This biopsy is sent to a laboratory and studied under a microscope, by a pathologist (a specialist doctor who examines tissues and fluids and assists the healthcare team in making a diagnosis).
MITOSIS
Under a microscope, our tissues are made up of a collection of cells. During mitosis, a cell makes an exact copy of itself and splits into two new cells. Each cell contains an exact copy of the original cell, and this is how our body facilitates growth and repair.
THE FORMATION OF CANCER
When a pathologist receives a biopsy, the cells are usually easily identifiable. For example, breast cells taken from a breast biopsy. Sometimes a pathologist may be presented with a tissue sample made up of cells that look extremely abnormal. These are cells that haven’t made good copies of themselves. For reasons unknown, these badly copied cells have managed to escape the safety checks during mitosis, and as a result, have managed to create even more badly copied cells. This abnormal and uncontrolled growth can lead to the formation of a cancerous tumour.
TYPE OF CANCER
The type of cancer will be named after the tissue in which it first originated. In some rare cases, the pathologist is unable to identify the origin and then a diagnosis of a carcinoma is made.
THE GRADE
The pathologist will grade the tissue sample according to the degree that the tissue has become abnormal. If the abnormal cells haven’t been copied too badly, the tumour is referred to as being well differentiated or Grade 1. If the cells are moderately-differentiated, Grade 2. If the abnormal cells aren’t easily recognised, it’s referred to as being poorly differentiated or Grade 3. When there is little resemblance to the original tissue, it is deemed as Grade 4. High-grade tumours tend to grow more rapidly and spread more easily than low-grade tumours.
Related article: Mbali Maphumalo: A true survivor
THE STAGES
Next is to check how far the disease has progressed or how far the cancer has spread in the patient’s body. Stage 0 is for abnormal cells that haven’t spread and are not considered cancerous. Stage 1 through to Stage 3 are for cancers that haven’t spread beyond the original tumour site or have only spread to nearby tissue. Stage 4 is when cancer has spread to distant areas of the body. The higher the stage number, the larger the tumour and the more it has spread.
A TUMOUR
A tumour develops when cells reproduce too quickly. Tumours can vary in size from a tiny nodule to a large mass, depending on the type, and they can appear almost anywhere on the body. There are three main types of tumour:
Benign: These are not cancerous. They either cannot spread or grow, or they do so very slowly. If a doctor removes them, they generally do not return.
Premalignant: In these tumours, the cells are not yet cancerous, but they have the potential to become malignant.
Malignant: Malignant tumours are cancerous. The cells can grow and spread to other parts of the body. It is not always clear how a tumour will act in the future. Some benign tumours can become premalignant and then malignant. For this reason, it is best to monitor any growth.
Related article: Coping with the big C
PROGNOSIS
Once a diagnosis is made, the patient is usually referred to an oncologist (a doctor who has further specialised in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer). He or she will use the information gathered, including the tumour grade and stage, as well as other factors, such as your age and general well-being to determine a prognosis. The prognosis is the likely outcome or course of a disease which includes the chance of recovery or recurrence.
CHEMOTHERAPY
Chemotherapy is a drug treatment that uses powerful chemicals to kill fast-growing cells in your body. There are many different chemotherapy drugs available and a variety of ways in which to administer it, but the most common is by inserting a tube with a needle into a vein in your arm or into a device in a vein in your chest.
Related article: 10 Chemo comfort and beauty tips
RADIATION
Radiation therapy is also a type of cancer treatment that uses beams of intense energy to kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy most often uses X-rays, an external-beam radiation from a machine outside the body. Each session is quick and painless, lasting about 15 minutes.
JET CLUB HELPLINESPERSONAL HEALTH ADVISOR
For free advice on health issues, Jet Club members can call our helpline.
SA & Namibia
0800 00 45 45
Botswana, Lesotho & Swaziland
+2711 991 8258
This benefit also gives you access to our free online education support system, trauma and assault support, and free access to our HIV Prevention Programme 24/7. For more information about our full list of benefits you receive as a Jet Club member, click here.
THE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO UNDERSTANDING CANCER TERMS
Reviewed by Michelle Pienaar
on
September 10, 2021
Rating:
Reviewed by Michelle Pienaar
on
September 10, 2021
Rating:
